A strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck northeast India early on January 4, sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets. The epicentre of the earthquake, which occurred at 4.37 am at a depth of 17 km below the ground, was at Tamenglong which is located 33 kilometers from Imphal in Manipur.

Manipur government decided to close all schools for a week. Another aftershock of 3.4 magnitude felt at 2.30 pm.
Telecom connectivity was more or less normal in Imphal. Union power secretary says a team of engineers from Power Grid Corporation will be reaching to Imphal assist the state govt in restoration of power. Atleast 8 people have been killed and another 100 injured due to earthquake, reports said. The injured have been admitted at state government hospital JNIMS in Imphal. Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and his team inspected JNIMS hospital where injured were admitted.

The MHA was actively monitoring the situation and teams from the National Disaster Response Force have been instructed to move from Guwahati to areas affected by the quake. One AN-32 and one Avro of Indian Air Force on way to Imphal from Guwahati with NDRF team. Manipur CM visited Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal where injured persons were treated. Besides Army, IAF and NDRF, the Assam Rifles was also engaged in relief operations.